Bad fuel pump?

[robhaynes]

I'm trying to determine if I have a bad fuel pump for my Fuel Injected 1980 2000. When I hook up power on the bench, it just makes a clicking sound when power is applied. I would have expected some kind of buzzing or whirring sound. I can't blow air thru it. When I install it doesn't seem to work, but I am getting voltage to when when the motor is cranked. Do I have to prime it? If so, what is the procedure?

[robhaynes]

Also, if the pump is bad, are the cheap $50 Ebay replacements ok or should I go Bosch?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Universal-I ... 71&vxp=mtr

[divace73]

I'm trying to determine if I have a bad fuel pump for my Fuel Injected 1980 2000. When I hook up power on the bench, it just makes a clicking sound when power is applied. I would have expected some kind of buzzing or whirring sound. I can't blow air thru it. When I install it doesn't seem to work, but I am getting voltage to when when the motor is cranked. Do I have to prime it? If so, what is the procedure?

If you run the pump without petrol running through it, you will burn it out, it uses the petrol to keep it cool and lubricated.
If you have 12V at the terminals and fuel is available at the low pressure side and it isn't squirting petrol out the other side then it is buggered.

[bradartigue]

Also, if the pump is bad, are the cheap $50 Ebay replacements ok or should I go Bosch?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Universal-I ... 71&vxp=mtr

You know the answer already. Bosch pump = 20 years. Aftermarket = 2 years.

[courtenay]

I also have an '80 Fi. Had power to the pump but the pump itself was dead. Bought a new "no name" from AR and everything is now fine. Csaba told me that these pumps seem to be holding up just fine.

[KevAndAndi]

More important that the question "Bosch or a lesser name?" is the question "Do you have a fuel strainer installed between the fuel tank and the fuel pump?" Trash in your lines will not be good for a Bosch or a Brand X. And the lack of a strainer will cost you more if you go for the Bosch and it fails.

[robhaynes]

I was wondering if there was some way to put in a filter between the tank and the pump. My concern is exactly what you said. I don't want to risk a new shiny Bosch fuel pump on my refurbished tank. The only strainers I have seen are in the tank, which is not an option here because draw tube is behind the original tanks baffel. Is there some kind of inline strainer that would not restrict fuel flow?

[courtenay]

I was wondering if there was some way to put in a filter between the tank and the pump. My concern is exactly what you said. I don't want to risk a new shiny Bosch fuel pump on my refurbished tank. The only strainers I have seen are in the tank, which is not an option here because draw tube is behind the original tanks baffel. Is there some kind of inline strainer that would not restrict fuel flow?

Frankly, if you have crap in your tank, you're going to be hooped whether you have a strainer or not. If the strainer is blocked by the crap in your tank, the fuel pump with be starved of fuel and since it is the fuel that cools the thing it will burn out anyway. The key is to ensure you have a clean tank. You notice that Fiat didn't put any kind of filter between the tank and the fuel pump.

[76was124]

What was the symptom to cause you to remove the fuel pump and test it on the bench?

[2ndwind]

A brief testing of the pump on the bench without fuel will still give you a whirring sound and sudden torquing roll of the pump when power is attached. As already mentioned, running it dry on the bench for more than the necessary few seconds is bad for it AND unnecessary. You will know immediately if it works. Clicking only sounds like no-workee.

BTW I bought an 82 FI that the guy said "won't stay running" beyond squirts of starting fluid into plenum. It turned out to be the + and - wires were switched at the pump. Someone rewired it for an aftermarket pump not realizing it is directional, causing the pump to run backward. Kept trying to pump fuel back to the tank. Again, no-workee!

[KevAndAndi]

I was wondering if there was some way to put in a filter between the tank and the pump. My concern is exactly what you said. I don't want to risk a new shiny Bosch fuel pump on my refurbished tank. The only strainers I have seen are in the tank, which is not an option here because draw tube is behind the original tanks baffel. Is there some kind of inline strainer that would not restrict fuel flow?

Frankly, if you have crap in your tank, you're going to be hooped whether you have a strainer or not. If the strainer is blocked by the crap in your tank, the fuel pump with be starved of fuel and since it is the fuel that cools the thing it will burn out anyway. The key is to ensure you have a clean tank. You notice that Fiat didn't put any kind of filter between the tank and the fuel pump.

Bruce, as a relative newbie I'm loath to disagree with anyone here, but here is my thinking on the matter: Having a clean tank means: At the moment you have a clean tank, you have a clean tank. That does not prevent sources of trash from entering your fuel system. In my case, I inspected the tank and found a few flakes of rust and grains of sediment. I tried a couple of different methods for removing the junk without removing the tank. I was unsuccessful. I ultimately decided that because the trash (a) was limited in quantity and (b) might not even move (unless perhaps the tank was run nearly empty), I would not remove the tank and clean it but would install an in-line strainer between the tank and pump and inspect the strainer at a later date. In fact, I would have installed a strainer even if I hadn't seen any trash in the tank. Note that suppliers of fuel pumps say, "Do not replace your pump without protecting the new unit with a fuel strainer." I don't see the lack of a factory filter between the tank and the pump as a feature but rather as a bug - to be rectified just as we overcome other design flaws with headlight relays, brown wire fixes, Prestone tees, etc., etc. It's easy enough to remove and inspect the strainer periodically, and of course to replace it, if necessary, to avoid any potential problems with flow restriction and fuel pump burnout.

Robhaynes, see the links below:

http://www.international-auto.com/e-10.cfm
http://www.international-auto.com/index ... 06&noapp=1

[courtenay]

Kevin - I bear no ill will towards people who disagree with me. I'm not an expert so can stand to be challenged. My car ran for 30+ years on the original fuel pump without a strainer between the tank and filter. When I disassembled the old filter, there was nothing to suggest the failure was caused by debris coming out of the fuel tank. I chose to install the new filter without a stainer. You should do whatever you feel is right for your situation.

[robhaynes]

Thanks for the replies, this board is great. Although the extra filter may not be needed with a clean tank (like I think I have) it seems to me to be cheap insurance. If there is gunk in there, I'll have a non-running car with a clogged filter, a $10 fix + the cost of a new tank. If I don't have a filter, I need a new fuel pump - $50-$200 depending on if I want Bosch or not.

I can't see around the baffles in the tank but what I can see looks clean now. So I think I assume its good and buy the filter for insurance. If I bought a new tank, I'd probably be inclined to skip the filter. Thanks for the links.

[KevAndAndi]

Thanks for the replies, this board is great. Although the extra filter may not be needed with a clean tank (like I think I have) it seems to me to be cheap insurance. If there is gunk in there, I'll have a non-running car with a clogged filter, a $10 fix + the cost of a new tank. If I don't have a filter, I need a new fuel pump - $50-$200 depending on if I want Bosch or not.

I can't see around the baffles in the tank but what I can see looks clean now. So I think I assume its good and buy the filter for insurance. If I bought a new tank, I'd probably be inclined to skip the filter. Thanks for the links.

No problem. Here's another: http://www.dcfiats.org/tech/Strainer_Re ... rticle.pdf

Cheap insurance was my thought, too.

However, courtenay is right. Every person has to make his own decision based on his personal assessment and appetite for risk. It's worth noting that the introduction of a pre-pump strainer brings its own risks. In addition to the risk courtenay mentioned, cutting the fuel line and adding two connection points with clamps increases the risk of leaks. To lessen the risk of hose damage, it's best to use clamps that have solid bands and to not overtighten the clamps - especially if you use the garden-variety auto parts store hose clamps.

It is the opinion of many that the Bosch units are less susceptible to damage from trash than less-expensive units. I bought the Purolator Facet fuel pump because I intended to install a strainer and wasn't terribly concerned about longevity. Time will tell whether I was penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Depending on the nature of whatever trash is caught by the strainer and the design of the strainer itself, one could in theory clean and reuse it. In my case, I bought two, to keep one in reserve. It's likely that when I pull off the one that's installed now, I will cut it open to inspect it.

Re: "This board is great": It is indeed. Forget about Amazon, Twitter, and porn - THIS is why the Internet was invented.